Video Game Buttons Blog

May 7, 2007

In his latest Entertainment Software Publishing and Retail industry report, video game analyst Michael Pachter says that the “quality and quantity of the underlying available content” will be the key decider over the next-gen, giving the slight edge to the PS3.

 

“We believe that the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are far more similar than their predecessors were and believe that the economics of game development will serve as a disincentive to third party publishers to offer exclusive content for either console,” Pachter explains.  “In a perverse way, the similarity between the two platforms will likely serve to lower the costs of porting software from one platform to the other, and we anticipate that virtually every third-party title produced for one will be produced for the other.”

 

That lack of differentiation, Pachter concludes, will give the Wii an initial competitive advantage, as by nature of its control mechanisms, publishers are far more inclined to create separate SKUs. Scoring that content exclusivity is the “wildcard” in next generation console sales, and Nintendo’s particular advantage, he says, is its “deep library of internally developed games/brands,” concluding, “we think that Nintendo’s Wii will gain the greatest share of the hardware market in 2007.”

 

However, while the analyst says Sony may struggle to secure third party exclusivity, he does expect that a combination of blockbuster internally-produced games, the growing installed base for the PSP and continued robust PS2 software sales will make up for the third party shortfall.

 

On top of that, Pachter also says that aside from game content, “we expect the ultimate outcome of the console wars to be decided by the motion picture studios. Should the studios embrace Sony’s Blu-ray standard for high definition DVDs, we think Sony will gain an insurmountable advantage over Microsoft; should the studios embrace Sony rival Toshiba’s HD-DVD format, we think that Microsoft can maintain its first mover advantage and will dominate software sales for years to come.”

 

By the end of the cycle, though, Pachter predicts, “we see Sony ‘winning’ the console war with 36% of the market, with Nintendo ‘capturing’ second place at 34% and Microsoft finishing third at 30%” — a virtual “dead heat,” with all three generating “significant profits.”

March 5, 2007

In the finall installement of a Newsweek interview, Sony’s Phil Harrison discussed the company’s plans to deliver DVD upscaling to the PS3.

 

When asked about what needs to change in regards to the flow of information within Sony Computer Entertainment, Harrison said, “There is a cultural thing about our approach in Japan that has to change.  Our approach in Japan is ‘Once it’s perfect, we’ll share it with everybody else.’ Whereas I think in order to engender trust in our users, we have to share some things that might be not quite perfect, but are ready to give you an indication of what’s coming. So we could say, ‘You know, we’re not sure when it’s coming, but we’re going to have DVD upscaling on Playstation 3.’ There you go. There’s a scoop for you.”  And there it is, folks!!!

 
Harrison also implied that other goodies might be in store for PS3 users, suggesting that PlayStation head of platform development Izumi Kawanishi should write his own blog containing Sony’s latest developments.  Harrison jokes that it would soon become the “biggest blog in the world,” which is probably not too far from the truth.

 

After plenty of speculation, Incognito Entertainment has confirmed that PS3 title Warhawk will be sold only as a downloadable title via the PlayStation Network.

 

Incognito’s Dylan Jobe indicated that the single player component for the game had been “phased out” in favor of an entirely online game supporting up to 32 players at a once.  “The single player just really wasn’t up to par and we owe it to the players to not force them to buy something that’s not good enough. They deserve better,” Jobe stated.

 

At E3 last May, Warhawk was one of the first PS3 games to demonstrate the tilt controls of the Sixaxis controller.  Warhawk was also used as a prominent example of downloadable content for PS3 games.  Incognito has discusses new Warhawk maps, features, and weapons being available online at a later date.